


24 Hours a Day

by GirlKnownSomewhere



Category: Partridge Family, The Monkees (Band), The Monkees (TV)
Genre: 1970s, Band Fic, F/M, Ficlet, Friendship, One Shot, Reunions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-21
Updated: 2020-11-21
Packaged: 2021-03-10 07:28:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,027
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27659524
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GirlKnownSomewhere/pseuds/GirlKnownSomewhere
Summary: Jan and Ann reunite on the set of another hit musical sitcom.
Relationships: David Cassidy/Jan Freeman, Mike Nesmith/Jan Freeman, Peter Tork/Ann Moses
Kudos: 4





	24 Hours a Day

**Author's Note:**

> This piece was kind of unexpected, but at the same time I had been wondering for a while what it would be like if Jan and Ann bumped into each other on the Partridge Family set since they worked on that show as well (and there are surprisingly no real BTS stories involving both of them somehow?). I did retcon Ann's history a little since she actually started covering the sitcom when the pilot aired, but things went a bit differently while writing the fic, heh. Anyways, hope you all enjoy it as much as I did writing it. 🎬✨
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own any part of the Monkees' or Partridge Family's brands or Jan Freeman's and Ann Moses' likenesses.

One-shot: 24 Hours a Day

Hollywood, November 1970

So much has changed since Jan left “The Monkees” almost four years ago. And yet not much had changed at all. She was still regularly hired as a background extra on productions, except within the past two years she had advanced up to fulltime body double as well. Last year was particularly eventful in that regard, with Jan standing in for major film stars like Kim Darby and Natalie Wood. The latter of which she got through filmmaker Paul Mazursky, who Jan knew as a connection from her “Monkees” days. Luckily the little reunion on the movie shoot for **Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice** wasn’t too awkward since her unfortunate exit from the sitcom. And of course, it wouldn’t be because no one in her life would know that the real reason she quit so suddenly was because she had a secret fling with the married Monkee. 

But now Jan was a part of another musical sitcom which was sure to be just as big of a phenomenon. The veteran extra landed her present gig on “The Partridge Family” through set manager Chris Morgan, who noticed her taking direction for some background shots with her longtime friend Roxanne Albee during the pilot’s shoot. He asked Jan to stand next to the series’ star David Cassidy and they discovered she had the same height, shape, and haircut as David. Jan was then offered to be his stand-in right on the spot, making this the fastest she had ever accepted a job. These last two months in the position had been great with her excited and grateful for the steady work in the future. Even better, she got along with the cast just as much as the crew. And David didn’t seem to mind having a female body double either, though that was most likely because his past doubles probably weren’t as pretty as Jan. 

In fact, the biggest occurrence to happen on the TV production was Jan’s relationship with David. After only three weeks into shooting the show, he asked out the brunette and she gladly accepted the offer. She really wasn’t expecting herself to be interested in another pop music sensation with a hit TV sitcom, but the actor-singer swiftly proved he was not only a decent colleague and good friend, but also a great date. It also helped that his persona and appearance were the complete opposite of Mike Nesmith. Actually, that might be a big reason why she was so interested in him…

Jan casually stepped out of David’s personal set trailer after a little necking session with the said popstar. Since gradually going from co-workers to buddies to lovers, the couple were basically spending the majority of their time together, and didn’t see any problem with making the most of their set breaks. The only kind of awkward part of dating David was ABC kept trying to push a PR romance between him and his on-screen sister Susan Dey. Jan didn’t mind the slightly younger actress and the two generally got along fine, but it was a little odd to see her boyfriend encouraged to pose and spend time with his co-star off camera. Was she ever going to have a normal relationship in showbusiness?

Currently, Jan was in a black turtleneck sweater, dark jeans and ankle boots. One nice thing about this stand-in gig was that her wardrobe was always casual, usually in a pair of jeans and a plaid shirt or something similar. It was rather refreshing compared to some of her other extra or double jobs where she had to be all dressed up. She straightened out her sweater with a comfortable grin and headed over to the designated shooting location since she was usually needed on the set before David.

While walking into the two-story house used to the Partridge residence on film, Jan took a look around the present setting. She saw the usual grips and gaffers staging the TV equipment, and a few extras already in the house waiting for the AD and episode director. As her eyes wandered around the living room, her attention stopped on a young woman kneeling next to the front door. She was in the middle of changing a roll of film in her photo camera, with a notebook and messenger bag on the floor next to her. Jan quickly recognized her as an old acquaintance and semi-colleague: Ann Moses from Tiger Beat Magazine. The reporter/editor’s appearance hadn’t changed much since Jan last saw her on the “Monkees” sets. She was wearing a long sleeved, rainbow patterned top, bright pink skirt and black flats for shoes. Her blonde hair was the same longish length as it was in the mid-1960s, but her familiar bangs were now gone and replaced with reading glasses. Pleasantly surprised at the reunion, the stand-in decided to walk over to her.

“Ann?”

“Ugh, do you work close to the cast?” The writer asked without looking up and while closing her camera. “A secretary back at the studio told me David wanted to do interviews this morning, but obviously that’s not happening…”

“Oh, really?” Jan asked surprised at her comment.

“Yeah. I’m not shocked though. Looks like he’s going to be my main nuisance for the next few years,” she claimed drolly and placed her notebook back in her bag. “You been on the show long? It’s basically going to be just me on these shoots and I’ve been missing my fellow ‘girl reporters’ more than ever it feels,” she said while officially looking at the other woman.

“Ann…it’s Jan.” She re-introduced herself. “You know…from the first season of ‘The Monkees?’”

The zine correspondent caught a second, longer gaze at the extra.

“I had the half-blonde, half-brunette thing going on back then…” She reminded while motioning toward her hair. Four years later, her long, straight ‘sunkissed’ shades of natural brunette on the top of her head and golden on the bottom half was now cut off at her shoulders in a shag style and completely brown. 

Ann’s eyes slightly widened as it suddenly hit her who she was speaking to. “Oh, Jan! Wow…”

Jan smiled both genuinely and a little awkwardly.

“What a difference a hairdo makes,” she added as she stood up with her camera hung around her neck and her bag on her shoulder. 

“Yeah. Looks like you got a makeover too,” Jan referenced to her lack of bangs while pointing toward her forehead.

“Oh, yeah,” Ann started while tucking some hair behind her ear and rolling her eyes slightly. “Just my luck I thought it would be a good time to start looking like an adult right as family groups blew up.”

“So you’re still at Tiger Beat?” Jan asked casually.

“Yep, head editor. Oh, and I have columns at NME and Fave. And there was Monkee Spectacular before it folded, as you know,” she concluded.

“Actually, I think that was after I left the show…” Jan clarified.

“Ah, right. You know, we were all really surprised you didn’t come back for the second season,” Ann claimed as she zipped the top of her bag. “I mean, Roxanne leaving made sense because of her thing with Micky. But you weren’t dating anyone then.”

Jan tried not to wince physically as much as she was mentally at the secret reason Ann wasn’t aware of. “I just…wanted to be a supportive friend.”

The reporter was a little impressed. “Well, that’s nice. Not many people would flat out choose a friendship over a job.”

The stand-in gave another semi-forced smile before trying to change the subject slightly. “So um…have you seen any of those guys lately?” She asked without thinking, although also realizing she was a bit curious about what the group was up to lately since she wasn’t exactly checking for them either.

“No, not really. It’s been almost a year since I last met up with any of the Monkees,” the blonde answered. “If you can believe it, I think Mike was the last one I spoke too before we stopped covering them in our issues.”

Jan ran a hand through her hair as she tried to not let the response affect her. “Same. It’s been years since I’ve spoken with any of them.”

“Really? Even Mike?” Ann asked surprised.

She didn’t know how to reply and chose silence.

“I just remember he was the bandmate you seemed to hang out with a lot back then,” Ann added for clarification.

“Oh, yeah, but…I don’t know. He stuck with music and I’m still in the acting medium, so…we don’t really cross paths,” she insinuated.

Ann smirked. “You never did tell me your secret to breaking through to him,” she teased referencing her old ‘rivalry’ with the singer-songwriter. 

Jan just made a ‘heh’ sound, clearly not about to tell her the reason she was one of the few people at the time to not have any working issues with Mike. “What about you and Peter? You guys talked frequently in between scenes then. Did you stop hanging out after he left the group?”

“Yeah…pretty much,” Ann confirmed a bit reluctantly. She then decided to look around the living room set-up to find child actors Danny Bonaduce and Suzanne Crough had entered and were waiting for their co-stars and director. “Remember when these shows used to star actors our age?” Ann reminisced. “I can’t believe I’m starting to ‘feel my age’ at 23.”

“Yeah…” Jan agreed. “Sometimes I wonder when all of this is going to blow over and I’ll need to get a ‘real’ job,” she suddenly confessed.

“Same. Well, I’ve been going back-and-forth on whether I should leave Tiger Beat for more serious publications,” Ann admitted.

The reference to the magazine reminded Jan of Ann’s earlier comments. “Did you really have an interview scheduled with David today? I’ve been here all day and haven’t heard anything about that.”

“Ugh, yes. God, what a little punk,” Ann bemoaned. “I know he’s fed up with the matinee idol schtick, but he’s going to need a reality check that his claim to fame is a pop music TV show and not a rock group.”

Jan smirked as her old work pal didn’t realize her connection to David. 

“So have you been an extra on the show long?” Ann asked curious. 

“Yeah, I’m a main double for the whole season.”

“Oh, really?” Ann asked with minor surprise. “That’s a big step up. Who are you doubling? Susan?” 

“No,” she chuckled. “David.”

Ann guffawed in return. “Seriously? I’m glad I’m not stuck with your schedule then.”

“Can’t say I agree,” Jan countered back still smirking.

“How come?” 

“Because we’re dating.” 

Now Ann was speechless. “Oh…Well, I’ll be honest, I wasn’t expecting you to be into pretty boys.”

She shrugged. “He’s fun off set.”

“Plus he’s closer to the fans’ ages than ours,” Ann added bluntly.

“That doesn’t really matter to me much,” Jan claimed.

“I hope it goes well for you,” she wished honestly. “The last time I dated a younger guy…didn’t end great,” the writer lingered with a slight somber tone.

The brunette offered a soft smile as she wasn’t quite sure what to say again. It hadn’t occurred to her how David’s reluctance to be a teen idol was basically the same issue Mike had with the Monkees’ public image. Even though it was obviously a complete coincidence, the similarity still irrationally bugged her a bit. 

Right when Ann let out a breath while idly toying with her bag’s handle, Jan suddenly got an idea. “You know…David’s still lounging in his trailer…”

Ann noticed her peer’s suggestion in the tone of her comment. “Oh…well then. I’ll just take a chance with knocking…and fail to mention how I heard of his whereabouts,” she concluded with a lopsided grin.

Jan smiled with an easy wave as the young woman parted to head to the intended destination. As if things weren’t already going well for her in life, it looked like reconnecting with an old acquaintance was about to be a nice addition as well.


End file.
